The leader on the University at Albany men's basketball team is senior forward Gary Johnson. He has eight.

That's one more than sophomore Levan Shengelia has. Senior DJ Evans and sophomore Peter Hooley, the starting backcourt for the Great Danes, each have two.

We're not talking about game-winning shots, the times they have been late for practice or how many slices of pizza they can eat after a UAlbany win.

We are talking about doves and basketballs and passages from scripture and Chinese proverbs. We are talking about ink on bodies and tolerance of pain and big dollars. We are talking about tattoos.

About one in five American adult men has a tattoo, according to a 2012 Harris Interactive poll, but the on the basketball court, the percentage of inked players seems far higher.

Though no one officially tracks how many men's basketball players have tattoos, a 2008 Los Angeles Times story suggested that about 75 percent of NBA players have at least one. In basketball, tattoos feel like as much a part of the uniform as hightops.

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Of course, athletes in many sports have tattoos, but basketball, with its sleeveless uniforms, lends itself more than most to this particular form of self-expression. The players may wear the same jerseys, but their tattoos, they say, add a personal touch that wouldn't be visible under, say, a hockey jersey.

One of Johnson's eight tattoos shows a dove, in honor of his grandfather, who died in 2009. At the funeral, Johnson and other family members released doves into the sky, symbolizing their grandfather's release into the afterlife. Johnson's biggest tattoo is on his stomach; it shows an angel and lists his name, along with the names of his mother, Angela, and sisters, Jasmine and Gianni.

"I think about my grandfather every time I play," Johnson said.

Evans, the quiet senior, has two tattoos, both purchased when he was in junior college. They are on his right arm. One is a biblical Scripture, a sign of his deep faith: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

The other tattoo shows his love of the game he plays. It is a basketball with a cross through it and clouds around it.

"My tattoos are related to God, because I am a God-fearing and loving man," Evans said. "Every tattoo I get will be biblical related."

You wouldn't know that Hooley has any tattoos, because they aren't usually visible. The one on his ankle is a line from one of his favorite movies, "Peaceful Warrior." The tat says simply, "Live in the Moment." No explanation necessary, he said.

Another goes across his chest. That one is for his mom, Sue, who is battling colon cancer back home in Australia. The inspiration Hooley draws from the tattoo is the message from a Chinese proverb: Fall VII, Stand VIII. It is shortened from "Fall seven times, Stand up eight."

"I got it when my mom was sick," Hooley said. "Every time I am down, I realize I can get back up because she did."

It's impossible not to notice the wild design up and down the length of Shengelia's right arm. It's one of the many symbols used for a Celtic warrior.

Shengelia is from Tbilisi, in the Republic of Georgia. "I did it for a purpose," Shengelia said. "Tribal tattoos."

Will Brown, the UAlbany coach, said he has only one rule for Shengelia and his tattos: He is not allowed to wear an undershirt underneath his jersey. Brown wants all of UAlbany's opponents to get a look at the tapestry on Shengelia's skin.

"Their initial reaction is that this guy has to be tough, intense, crazy ... all of the above," Brown said. "Yeah, make sure they can see them, because their perception is this guy is a little whacky, a little crazy."

Tattoos aren't cheap. Jessica Shultis, the manager of Lark Tattoo, which has been in business in Albany for 20 years, said artists command about $150 per hour.

Johnson, who was inked in California, said the angel tattoo on his stomach took around four hours to complete. He has spent a few thousand dollars on tattoos, he said. He also expects he'll get more. He wants to have one put over his chest in the likeness of his 3-month-old daughter Aniya.

Of course, not every player has a tattoo.

"To be honest, I am not a huge fan," junior Sam Rowley said. "I don't think there has been anything important enough in my life to permanently put on my body. I don't have any tribal connections, and I haven't lost a member of my family that has been hugely close to me."

Brown, who has no tattoos, said he understands why some of his players want to have artwork on their bodies. He said he only offers one piece of advice for a player who wants one.

"Get one in a place that it will be covered," he said. "Because there will be a point in time where you get to a certain age and you are going to say, 'What the heck was I thinking?'"